I saw a front end of '
an unmistakeable'
white '69 Charger 500' upcountry here
while heading to my cousin Stanley's house...
I had driven by 100 times before & never noticed it
it was sitting in front of a shop/metal building...
It piqued my curiosity...
That's one of my all-time bucket list cars,
is a;
69 Charger 500 Hemi 4 speed,
pref. in white/with black bucket/console interior
& red tail stripe...
Just like the car, that I saw thousands of times
as a young kid, riding my bike past it, or going to a buddy's house...
Or later driving my GG1 dark Green Poly/Black guts & top
68 Charger R/T by it & stopping to talk with the gentlemen...
Whenever I saw him outside or the garage door open/up...
While growing up down in Concord almost 250 miles due west...
Driving back the 1st time, it was still outside it was like 11:30pm
'too late'
so I figured I'd go & try to talk to whoever had it...
Later sometime...
Saw it a few times going upcountry, stopped a couple of times
& never got anyone at the shop or answer...
Whenever I knocked or pounded on the shop roll-up doors...
No houses by close...
(
come to find out much 'later', the house was over the hill behind the shop
up a long *** driveway, I didn't ever go up)
I didn't know what or which house/s any of them all 1/4 mile away
any direction to knock on the appropriate door/s...
It was there for a few months...
I even mentioned;
to my dad who was almost always in the passenger seat
of my truck (99 Dakota SLT 4x4) when going to cousin Stanley's place...
"It's way too rare & too valuable of a car to leave outside
in the rain & snow up here"...
Funny thing is,
the next time going upcountry it had a car cover over it...
I stopped & left a business card, taped to the tarp
& to the shop's roll-up door (I left one before & to no avail)
Still no contact,
still never seen anyone at the shop or the door open...
Finally about 1-1/2 years later...
I saw it was gone & the roll-up door was open
being curious, it looked like someone was cleaning it out...
It's a rural area, not wanting to get shot trespassing on private property
by some old coot, getting pissed...
(
I'm CCW/armed most of the time too)
I made sure they knew I was coming, I honked my horn
while going up the driveway... (a steep switchback)
Someone came out of the shop building finally,
a guy about my same age
this was like 15 years ago NOW, so about in his late 40s early 50's...
Come out and asks politely;
"what do I want"...
I told him about the 69 Charger 500,
"I wanted to inquire about it or just talk"
he laughed sort of & he said;
"it was his (deceased) dad's car, it was in pretty bad shape,
quite a bit of, lil' rust spots here & there
& that it needed some serious work, (& it wasn't a Hemi car)
but it was a 440 4bbl 4 speed Dana 60 rear track-pack/car,
but
he no longer owned it, too"...
He also said;
"for a while, for like the past 10+ years
his dad "
he'd get 100's of inquiries about the car",
notes & cards left on it or left everywhere...
He never wanted to sell it, because it was one of his
very 1st ever '
new cars' he bought, it was once his pride & joy...
He had driven it to work in the snow (with chains) & in the rain,
on muddy roads & gravel driveways, everywhere up here etc.
For 30+ years before he put it up, in early 2001"
It was handed down to his son (the guy I finally talked to)...
The son didn't have the $$ to do it right & sold it, for $15k
to one of his dad's older buddies, that always wanted it,
so it went to a good home...
He showed me the stack of cards & some photos his father kept,
that were left
'to inquire about the car'
for that nearly a 10-year period, it was 100's of cards & notes...
I told the guy it is a bucket list car of mine...
He understood...
He's a Jeep guy, so he knows cars, some...
Knows the obsessions too, from his dad...
I wish I could have talked to the dad/org. owner
It didn't pan out,
& I wish I could have gotten it...
But that was a long shot at best...
Possibly impossible...
It made for a good story & the guy is a good guy,
Dick T. he belonged to my dad's former SIRs RV club & with the Elks Club
'Holy Rollers' (Motherload Rollers RV club) up here, latter...
Small world really...
